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Body Donation

1 April 2019

Dr Claire F Smith, Brighton and Sussex Medical School

Everyone wants their life and death to having meaning, for some this is provided by giving their own body in death to science. In our life time we are all grateful to the medical and allied health profession who help us; it may be a GP who helped diagnose and treat a lung infection, a nurse who gave a vaccine, a physiotherapist who helped heal a sports injury, or a dentist who has sorted out a root canal. They have all had to learn about the human body. The majority of them would have studied at university using donated bodies. These donors are known as the Silent Teachers.

Each year in the UK around 1,300 donor bodies are accepted by medical schools. However, as the population continues to grow, the number of professionals needed to provide care also increases. Hence, the continuous need for donated bodies. At times supply in the UK is not enough and donor body parts are imported from the USA.

You may be asking, are real bodies still needed in the world of technology? The answer is yes. Whilst we teach using a range of 3D printing, virtual reality and other technological methods, the real-life experience of the human form is still so essential to learning. At early stages of a medical students training they dissect and examine the anatomy of a donor to create a three-dimensional appreciation of the human form. Later they revisit and undertake complex surgeries using donors to practice and develop techniques that benefit their patients. On a daily basis I teach and work with first year students- up to world leading surgeons who all share the immense gratitude for the donors who enable this learning to occur.

Body donation is different to organ donation. In the UK it is organised by postcode, so you need to register with your local medical school. This has to be undertaken by you. It is not possible for you to donate your old aunt or for your aunt to donate you. The Human Tissue Authority that governs body donation enables the public to find their medical school at https://www.hta.gov.uk/medical-schools. Once registered the individual needs to inform their next of kin, so that at the time of death the next of kin can inform the medical school. Sadly, not all donations can be accepted, this may be due to certain conditions e.g. HIV or just logistics. The next of kin is also asked about if they wish to have the donor’s body back to undertake their own burial or if they wish the medical school to undertake a cremation, which the family can attend. It is hence important for donors to have a conversation around this.

Most medical schools hold a memorial service where family members can attend. Each year the London Anatomy Office who look after donations for London and the South East hold this service at a cathedral in London, around 1,200 family and friends of 400 donors attend. This service is important for all to reflect on this selfless and amazing gift. A single donor can affect the lives of 10 million patients, if you count all the doctors who can train thanks to that donation, and all the patients they’ll see during their careers. Personally - I can’t think of any other gift a person can give that will affect so many people’s lives in a positive way.

All the information you need on body donation is provided by asking the medical school for an information pack. However, if you would like to read more and understand some of the stories behind donors The Silent Teacher: The Gift of Body Donation is available from Amazon in paperback and Kindle or direct from anatomicallycorrect.co.uk